Children, wealth of the Nation - Bishop of Colombo

COLOMBO: We respond to war best by striving to end war and we respect those who engage and die in war best, by ensuring that more lives are not lost, said Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo in a statement issued yesterday.

Excerpts from the statement : “In war there are no winners and losers. The escalation of war simply requires an escalation of the deaths of Sri Lankans on all sides. These are mostly the young and the poor lured or coerced into battle.

War can never be right. The responsibility of democratic leadership then, is to work earnestly and urgently to end war and achieve a just and stable socio-economic order through non-violent, negotiated means. If we can initiate negotiations on our own, then we must do so immediately.

If we cannot we must ask for help clearly and purposefully. Equally serious is the investment of the war agenda in the lives of our children. The indoctrination of trapped school communities, trough often helpless school authorities, with programmes highlighting images of war is a serious violation of the vulnerability and dignity of our children and must be condemned.

Our children are the real wealth and potential of our Nation. They must one day soon, live in harmony together.

Our religions and cultures, and mostly our love and best expectations for them leave us with no other option. Consequently I caution and call upon all who love and care for children, specially parents, educationist, teachers and religious leaders to counter this trend by investing the values of mutual respect and trust, co-operation, sharing and co-existence into their valuable young lives.

It is still not too late to come to our senses and turn our swords into ploughshares.”